Regional

M’laya CM seeks time to resolve Nagaland state guest house issue near NEIGRIHMS

Amidst the opposition by Khasi Students’ Union (KSU) to the setting up of Nagaland State Guest House near North Eastern Indira Gandhi Regional Institute of Health & Medical Sciences (NEIGRIHMS) in Shillong, sources from the Home department informed Nagaland Post that the matter was taken up at chief minister’s level of the two States.

Sources said Neiphiu Rio had conveyed his concern to his Meghalaya counterpart Conrad Sangma and the latter had reportedly sought time to resolve the issue. The Nagaland government was anticipating a positive response from Sangma, the sources added and refused to comment further.

North East Executive Council (NEEC) of JD(U) has stated that it had met Khasi Students’ Union (KSU) over the issue and was learned that the said land was previously allotted for construction of district lodge.

NEEC through its media cell said KSU conveyed “very clearly” that it was not opposed to the construction of a medical lodge. it said KSU was only concerned with the particular land in question. NEEC said it therefore strongly felt that the stand of KSU was “reasonable.”

It may be mentioned that the KSU had asked the Meghalaya government to take back a plot of land near the NEIGRIHMS, which had been allotted to the Nagaland government to build a state guest house there for people who come for treatment at the hospital.

According to The Telegraph report, Meghalaya Urban affairs department had allotted 2.27 acres of land in New Shillong Township near the institute to the Nagaland government a few years ago.

Lambasting the state government for not giving preference to the needs of the people of Meghalaya, a KSU delegation met Urban Affairs minister, Ronnie V. Lyngdoh and asked the government to take back the land.

“We are not opposed to giving land to Nagaland but we are questioning the manner in which the state government is treating its own people. We would like our government to accommodate the needs of the people of the state first and build houses to accommodate the needy,” Marngar said.